No, silly Americans, my spell check is on and I didn’t leave off the “i”… as much as I loooove macaroni nor did I leave off the “o” for coconut macaroons. We’re talking about the French macaron. The main ingredients of a macaron are made with sugar, egg whites, almond powder, and a filling, typically a type of cream … Continue reading →

Move aside Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters, there’s a new mother plucker in Grapevine — Pluckers! I welcome Austin restaurant establishments with open stomach and open arms wings. (What’s the other Austin establishment that holds dear to my heart? Torchy’s! And you can read my post here. And for the love of self-promotion, I also blogged about the Original … Continue reading →

After lunch at Ajisen (here), I decided to go for some dessert at Vivian’s Bakery, located down the plaza, next to the large Chinese grocery store. If you’re American, don’t be too shy to go in, there are signs written in Engwish too 😉 But really, if you’ve never been to a Chinese bakery, you should try some … Continue reading →

As part of my Richardson “Chinatown” adventures, my friend and I decided to come to Ajisen for a Wednesday lunch. (See my review for Chang Jing here). Located on the north corner of the strip as a stand alone restaurant, Ajisen. It’s home to Japanese casual dining but offers other types of Asian cuisine. The menu is quite lengthy: there’s ramen … Continue reading →

Wow, the cupcake scene has finally entered into the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area all thanks to Cupcake Bliss. *Applause* Cupcake Bliss philosphy: The “cake” is the most important part of the cupcake while the frosting enhances the cake flavors. Cupcakes should be light and fluffy but still hold intense flavors. So does her ying and yang theory translate … Continue reading →

Outta the Oven is flaky – but not in that delicious pie crust kind of way, flaky as in inconsistent. This is my third visit (read my first review here and second here) and all three trips have been very different. During trip #1, the cookies were dry and stale; trip #2 the cookies were fresh and … Continue reading →

Torchy’s Tacos humble beginnings came from Michael Rypka who left his executive chef position, mortgaged his house, maxed out his credit card… all for the love of his Taco Dream. He soon found himself cooking up some tasty tacos in an airstream trailer and a red Vespa scooter (how Austin of him!) His first menu was more of a … Continue reading →

Katherine Clapner is the mastermind of Dude, Sweet Chocolate. She’s been referred to as Willy Wonka… not the Gene Wilder chocolatier, mind you, but more like Johnny Depp: dark, complex and artfully delightful. She’s the Quentin Tarentino of chocolatiers: unconventional and gutsy… one B.A.M.F. She has the creativity to pair atypical flavors with chocolate and yet somehow it works: bleu cheese … Continue reading →

If Neighborhood Services (NHS) were a person it’d be… The boy next door that everyone has a crush on. Have your parents and grandparents meet him, they’ll fall in love too. He’s down to earth and talented. ﻿He’s popular – not the cocky popular guy but the effortless cool guy. He’s the kid everyone wants … Continue reading →

Outta the Oven in Addison made me eat my words. I wasn’t too pleased with my first Outta the Oven experience in Las Colinas (see here). Not being able to give up on this place, I went to their bakery in Addison to see if things were different. Thank goodness I came, these cookies tasted like they … Continue reading →